2 part question: Dogs and neighbors?

How long do they leave the dog for?

If they are leaving the puppy whining and crying for hours that is unacceptable to me. If it is for like 45minutes tops ok..

I am not sure what you can do. It is during normal hours, although 4 in the morning is a little early. The worse place to leave a puppy I think is in the backyard of all places. Ugh.

Five weeks old is way too young for a puppy to be left alone. Especially outside. It is cruel and inhumane treatment.

That is sick. At five weeks, there is no way the puppy is going to learn anything at all from this. On the contrary, he will probably have separation anxiety for his whole life. There’s all sorts of things to do wrong when training dogs to handle separation, but this truly shocked me. Horrible. Depending on the laws in your area, it may even be illegal. But sadly, it probably isn’t. Could you ask advice from any local society to protect animals?

Also: Where is the puppy’s mother? It shouldn’t have been separated from her yet.

What a second when I edited I said 45minutes and did not realize the dog was 5*WEEKS* old WTF!

45mins is even too long. The puppy is not even weened from its mother properly these people do not deserve this dog! Omg. Whats the weather like? Is it humid? Do they have the dog chained? Is there shade for the dog? Do they accessable water and food? I’d call animal control.

I’m miffed truly I am, I can’t even form sentences properly.

Barking dogs, an age-old problem. It’s one of my many soapboxes and I sympathize with you. No matter where I’ve lived in the past I’ve wound up with a barking dog next door. For the past five years I’ve had to deal with a “neighbor” who keeps two large ones in his backyard constantly, and on weekends, a third one which belongs, I think, to relatives when they go away on Friday night (and not return till Sunday night). I’ve talked to him, written notes, complained to home owners association and police, and in one last desperate attempt for peace, I started muttering curses under my breath at the dogs, who bark when I go outside, bark when I open a window, bark when anyone comes to my house or just passes, and bark when a leaf stirs a block away.

So how do I deal with it? I’ve pretty much taught myself to ignore it – and the curse-muttering helps. Nothing will change until one of us moves. If he does, a new dog will move in next door. And if I do, yep, you guessed it, there’ll be a new dog next living door.

All I can suggest is a white noise gadget and curse-muttering. Wish I could be more helpful but I think you’re just stuck.

They are idiots. And rude.

You’ve already (politely) communicated with them. Call police non-emergency.

If you’ve already asked them, you can file a noise disturbance with your local police. Personally, if I couldn’t take it anymore, with a epileptic husband who HAS to sleep, I’d go get the animal and take it home with me and deal with the consequences.

All it wants is a cuddle, it’s lonely and scared. I don’t like people that hurt animals, even in ignorance. It’s like trying to teach a 6 month old baby to potty in a chair and trying time outs when it craps it’s nappy, idiots.

A five week puppy should not even be away from its mother, let alone left outside all night by itself. It’s probably scared to death. This is the equivalent of those parents that let a newborn baby cry bloody murder in its crib so it can learn to “self-soothe.” This is the time that they should be keeping the pup inside and bonding with it. If they want the puppy to be okay alone, they should crate train it, inside the house, where no one is kept up all night from the noise except for them. These people are inconsiderate morons.

I’m not sure what you can do about it, though, except go back over there and, again, tell them their dog is disturbing you and the noise all night is simply unacceptable. Tell them that a puppy that young should never be left alone outside and, if they can’t care for the animal in an appropriate way, they should give it to someone that can.

This question makes me sad. Sad for the puppy who is missing his mother. Sad because of the ignorance of the idiots that own it. I feel for you, too, @nikipedia, having to be kept up at night, but at least you are understanding of what’s going on. The puppy does not understand, just has the feeling of loneliness and sadness.

I just have to add one more thing for a comparison as to why it’s not right for the dog to be in the backyard at 5 weeks alone. My husband adopted a puppy at 6 weeks old from an adoption angency who rescued the shepard from a puppy mill, the shepard is now mine since my husband is no longer here, but when my husband was here trust me when I say he knew a lot more about dogs than I do and we could’nt even let the dog walk up the stairs by himself until he was at least 8 weeks of age! Something about not being fully developed and lessening the chances of hip dysplasia.

So assuming that, then 5 weeks old must be way too young to be left all alone in a big back yard…this is when a crate needs to be used.

Maybe you should politely suggest that to your neighbor? That the puppy may be a little more comfortable feeling all cozy in the confines of a den like crate.

Even if you have to write a note.

I finally went over there a little after 5am and knocked on their door until they woke up. They were not apologetic at all and just shrugged, “It’s a puppy.”

I printed out some information on crate training and wrote them this note that I plan to leave on their doorstep when I get home:

The first time I came over to complain about the puppy whining, one of the housemates told me he was only 5 weeks old. This is too young to be removed from his mother and the reason he is crying like that is because he is terrified. Leaving him alone in a crate for hours is not humane treatment, and the only thing it is teaching him is anxiety.

I am a lot more upset that you are treating an animal who can’t fend for itself like that than I am about being woken up at 4:00am. I am writing you this note to let you know ahead of time that if I hear him crying like that again, I will call the ASPCA and then the police to issue a noise complaint.

I have provided you with some materials that will help you crate train your puppy in a humane and age-appropriate manner. If you can’t treat your animals with kindness and compassion, please find them new homes.

If they want to teach self-soothing, they should crate train him, not leave him outside. That cruel. It’s also incredibly rude to subject the neighbors to that. My neighbors leave their annoying ass hound dog outside most of the time, yowling his head off and it pisses me the fuck off.

@nikipedia I like it, straight-forward and mentions the inhumanity, provides a solution, and is honest about repercussions. Great job!

@nikipedia Love it. That’s pretty much what my note would say, but yours is nicer. :) Although…

Leaving him alone in a crate for hours is not humane treatment…

I thought he was outside all night. Is he in a crate outside? That’s strange. Crate training is not the inhumane part (unless he’s left in there for too long by himself). The inhumane part is sticking the puppy outdoors all by itself at such a young age. I’d make that clear in the letter.

It’s a cage in their yard.

@nikipedia Ah…still, I’d point out that the dog should not be outside for that long, cage or no cage. The pup isn’t even fully vaccinated yet. I wonder how they’ll feel if they go out there one morning to find a dead puppy in that cage. Idiots…

I’d print out this thread for them to read, personally.

@nikipedia Awesome! I really hope it works out and they actually get the message and they do not bother you in the long run. I hope they understand you are just worried about the puppy I mean I don’t really know much about puppies mine were all grown up after my husband passed, but isn’t it just common sense. Obviously you know or you would’nt of posted the question. What is wrong with them. :/

EDIT
Sorry I get worked up I did’nt read the full answers first.

If the dog is in a crate I think that is ok. But maybe they should just bring the dog in the house. Maybe you should just put in your note that the noise of the dog is unbearable for you at such early times and it would be better if the crate were inside their home and not in their backyard otherwise you will file a noise complaint at 4:30 in the morning.

I wasn’t very clear, but the piccture is becoming more clear now. I do not think outdoors is a good place for a puppy. Safety tells me indoors would be better. Also I’m not sure what the climate is like that you live in or what kind of dog it is.

Are you on L.A. County? There is a 30 min. dog barking law. Call animal protection.

If you are not in L.A. County, call the Humane Society or SPCA. Don’t let this abuse continue.

@nikipedia: Please provide updates as to how things go with the puppy. I am feeling really bad and hope (for the puppy’s sake and for yours) that things work out.

Crate or no crate, I think these people are insanely ignorant. Crate training works because dogs tend to feel safer in confined spaces. This is not the case if they associate their crate with hours alone, in the dark, terrified because their ‘pack’ abandoned them.
That puppy doesn’t have a chance. He’ll grow up to be another neurotic dog, unhappy at best and dangerous at worst. Great.
@nikipedia I love the note. I don’t think it makes a lot of difference whether he’s outside or in the house. (Except for everyone around, of course.) He’s five weeks old. He is too young to be alone – it’s that simple. I think you said everything that needed to be said, politely and convincingly. I hope things work out.

Taking a pup from its mother at 5 weeks is illegal in most areas. I would contact RSPCA. You are brave. We had party neighbours and when we spoke to them, they said something like you have such nice dogs, would be a shame if anything happened to them. That was it for me. We just learned to deal with the partying which went on until they moved. At least with a pup, it will within a week or so get used to the cage and just sleep.

Yes, idiots to the 10th power!
A 5 week old puppy isn’t even old enough to be away from it’s mother, let alone left outside all night alone. These people are ignorant abusive morons!
I would report them and maybe even snatch that poor puppy, it’s life is only going to get more miserable.

This sort of thing makes me livid!

^I agree.